The Id DM recently invited me on his podcast, Ego Check, an interview podcast series hosted by a licensed psychologist, Michael Mallen, Ph.D. The podcast delves into a variety of game types (e.g., tabletop roleplaying games, boardgames, videogames) from a psychological perspective. Dr. Mallen has been interviewing members of the gaming community for articles on his blog, The Id DM, since 2011 and is now posting these interviews for others to enjoy. Check it out as well as the other fantastic episodes with other guests from the gaming industry and beyond! I’m joined...

Player rewards can be broken down into tangible, intangible, and story rewards. In my games, I like to try to give out a balance of all three, but some in- and out-of-character considerations will occasionally affect what I distribute and when. Tangible Rewards Tangible rewards are your gold, loot, magic items and artifacts. My parties are usually good about splitting gold evenly. Some are even willing to lend theirs among the party so that certain PCs can get the item they’re looking for, with the general expectation that they will be helped in kind down the...

Given the change of system, I felt obliged to change the promotional image as well. (Though technically it’s the Oriental Adventures LARP, this cover was just too perfect to resist.) An Invitation to the Winter Court Greetings, honored visitor, to an isolated corner of the Empire not often seen, but wondrous to behold. On the cusp of the year of the that may come to mark a renewed spiritual vigor in the Emerald Empire, it is my honor as the Emperor Hantei the Thirty Fifth’s Official Voice to invite you to the grand celebrations which are to be held...

Googling “writing a LARP scenario” or “larp scenario design” returns a number of great lists of scenarios for download and some good articles on theory, but nothing like the solid GM advice that you would find if, say, you wanted to know how to write a campaign or encounter. Lacking a rough outline or method, I’ve been forced to look at the scenarios and LARPs I’ve participated in and try to deduce guiding principles and processes from there. This series of articles is an attempt to help fill that gap with my own trial and errors....

My dad listens to that craziest shit, but sometimes those internet radio stations of his pay off. Just as I was finishing chores to prepare for tonight’s Turkey Fest the Yoshida Brothers came on, and I knew I’d found the new soundtrack to Sasarindō, Blood & Honor, and Legend of the Five Rings, among others. A few of my favorite tracks: Some of the tracks are slightly campy/new age/jazzy, depending on your taste in music, but overall I’ve had a hard time finding suitable instrumental tracks that aren’t from movies (Kurosawa’s...

Triple Crit is a blog for storytellers of all sorts, be they behind the GM screen, keyboard, or character sheet. Here you can find articles and advice on campaign management, adventure design, character development, writing, and geek culture.

The author, Katrina Ostrander, is a twenty-something gamer chick, game master, and blogger working in the tabletop games industry for Fantasy Flight Games. In addition to her work as an editor of tie-in fiction, she has worked on nearly a dozen roleplaying game adventures and supplements. Her opinions are her own.